OCEAN SPRINGS — Demolition has begun on a vacant boat storage shed and a restaurant will be come down next at the Ocean Springs Harbor. The Sun Herald reports that Southern Recycling and Demolition Inc. of D’Iberville has 90 days to do the work. Thomas Hickman, owner of Southern Recycling, said once workers get the […] [...]

BILOXI — The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources will open bids July 16 for two large fishing vessels once owned by a foundation run by the agency’s former director. WLOX-TV in Biloxi reports the vessels are a 36-foot Topaz and a 42-foot Californian. They are docked in Biloxi and are worth an estimated $400,000. A classified […] [...]

PASCAGOULA — Work has started on repairs to a damaged part of the Pascagoula River Park pier that was burned in 2011. Arson was suspected to be the cause of the fire; however, no arrests have been made. Darci Crew, director of the Pascagoula Parks and Recreation Department, tells The Mississippi Press the work should […] [...]

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST — Commercial and recreational boat slips are under construction or repair in almost every city across South Mississippi. The Sun Herald reports the biggest projects are new harbors being built in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian that will add a total of 348 new boat slips to the Coast. Pass Christian […] [...]

BILOXI — Delays are over and the Biloxi Commercial Harbor has re-opened in time for the 2013 shrimp season. WLOX TV reports that shrimpers are glad the harbor is back in business. The harbor has 55 slips, along with concrete piers and new pilings. It’s also deeper than before. The harbor was badly damaged by […] [...]

GULFPORT — The Port of Gulfport is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of a 47-foot-deep ship channel in Gulfport. The Sun Herald reports the corps will take public comment on the proposed study at a meeting May 21 in Gulfport. The port’s request to deepen the 20-mile ship channel […] [...]

VICKSBURG — Authorities say the barge that sank after hitting a bridge on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg poses no dangers to shipping or the environment. Coast Guard Capt. Bill Drelling said today that the barge is in 80 feet of water so there’s no risk of other barges hitting it. No decision has been […] [...]

VICKSBURG — The Mississippi River re-opened this morning in Vicksburg after barges hit the old U.S. Highway 80 railroad bridge. Coast Guard Lt. Ryan Gomez says that there was enough water covering a barge that sank yesterday to allow other vessels to safely pass through. After the river re-opened at 9:30 a.m. CDT, the coast […] [...]

VICKSBURG — The Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River at Vicksburg after barges hit a railroad bridge there yesterday and about 30 barges broke free from the towboat “Captain Buck Lay.” Nine towboats — six bound upriver and three heading downriver — with a total of 134 barges were waiting to get through yesterday evening, […] [...]

MISSISSIPPI RIVER — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District’s (Corps) Mat Sinking Unit (MSU), has completed an extended mat-sinking season. This revetment season included a larger than normal program with critical repairs being made to sites damaged as a result of the 2011 historic flood. During this longer, eight-month, revetment season, the MSU placed […] [...]